"Earrings on a man usually look unnatural, but they were the absolute norm among the Don Cossacks and had a serious symbolic meaning. The earring on the left ear meant that this Donets was the only son of a single mother, on the right — that he was the last man in the family. This element was considered a talisman, because during the battle the commanders tried to protect such fighters. The Cossacks felt a special piety for the headdress, which they wore not for warmth, but for honor. The Astrakhan cap, which, due to its specific cut, did not allow the fighter to walk with his head down, reflected the traditional worldview of the Cossacks who did not bend their backs in front of anyone. It was an important attribute of their self-determination, and therefore, when knocking it off a head, the opponent inflicted a deep insult to the enemy."

Vasily Sukhorukov (1891). "Historical denoscription of the Land of the Don Army" (1867-1872).